1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aggregate material cleaning systems. More specifically, the invention is a fully automatic, load sensing system for a log washer which is used for cleaning aggregate materials, such as rocks, gravel, sand, and ores to remove dirt and waste materials. The system hydraulically changes the angle of incline of the washer tank to ensure that the washer tank is properly loaded with the solids for efficient cleaning action.
2. Description of the Related Art
The related art of interest describes various washing and weighing apparatus, but none recognizes the washing inefficiency problem and none discloses the present invention. There is a need for a log washer for washing sand, gravel, ores, and similar particulate material to maximize the cleaning action based upon variations in the weight of the load being cleaned. The problem exists because in conventional log washers the inclination angle of the washer tank is fixed, whereas the load fluctuates. As a general rule, if the angle of incline of the tank is increased, production is decreased but the cleansing action of the washer is increased. Conversely, if the angle of incline of the washer is decreased, production is increased, but the cleansing action is decreased. Currently, the only way to vary the angle of incline is by manually increasing or decreasing the height of the structure supporting the washer tank, a labor intensive process which involves temporarily shutting down the log washer while the supports are adjusted. Therefore, by automatically adjusting the incline of the washer tank according to the load of solids, adequate cleaning is accomplished to maximize the efficiency of the washing process. The related art will be discussed in the order of perceived relevance to the present invention. No art discloses the critical feature of automatically adjusting the incline of the washer or separator tank to adjust to the weight of the solids load in the washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,558 issued on Apr. 30, 1974, to Alton B. Hamm describes an apparatus for separating lightweight debris from sand, gravel and logs comprising flowing water at a high velocity in a restricted flow path to one side of the rotating auger and rotating logs. The granular and aggregate material is discharged into the water flow for removing unwanted lightweight debris prior to the movement of the granular and material into the zone of operation of the auger of the sand screw or rotating logs of the log washer. The apparatus's inclination is supported by fixed supports. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a restricted water flow path and fixed supports for its inclination angle.
Japan Patent Application No. 7-253340 published on Oct. 3, 1995, describes an apparatus which can automatically perform an aggregate washing step in a pivotal mixing container with a spout and emptying the aggregate material and liquid. The washer apparatus has a pair of supporting legs on a stage, and a base pad that may be rotated via a pivotal shaft in a vertical direction by the supporting legs to empty the contents. The aggregate mixing container has a mixing blade within rotated by a first drive motor which rotates with the container. The second drive motor rotates the mixing container and the first drive motor. The apparatus is distinguishable for being limited to a rotatable emptying feature for a mixing container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,415 issued on Nov. 18, 1980, to Enrique de Tuya Casuso describes an apparatus for separating mixed solids of different specific gravities by means of a liquid medium comprising a rotatable frusto-conical separation chamber having a lighter solid outlet at one end and a heavier solid outlet at the opposite end. A pair of frusto-conical chambers may be utilized to separate solids of three different specific gravities. The apparatus is distinguishable for its structural difference and its different objective of separating mixed solids of at least two different specific gravities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,256 issued on Feb. 9, 1999, to Maynard A. Teppo describes a rotary clay material refiner apparatus comprising a horizontal rotating drum into which clay material and water are fed. The clay material and water form a slurry which is agitated by lifters within the drum. A series of adjustable lifters within the drum refine the slurry by lifting aggregates and rocks out of the slurry and discharging them out of the refiner apparatus. The refined slurry exits the drum through an opening and further processed. The apparatus is distinguishable for being confined to a horizontal rotating drum and requiring two separation steps.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,489,161 issued on Nov. 22, 1949, to William Scholes describes a gravity liquid separator apparatus for the separation of unspecified granular or lump material, comprising a tank minus an outlet wall and the bottom inclined up from the deep feeding end, wherein the material is fed from the bottom of the deep end by a continuous belt passing through an opening with a trailing rubber fabric sealing flap or an inflated pneumatic tube to minimize leakage. A rotary scraper is positioned midway in the apparatus. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a rotating material transporting belt inside the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,991 issued on Dec. 14, 1943, to Chester I. Leveke describes an apparatus for removing dirt, clay, shale, coal and the like material from gravel comprising an inclined elongated trough having a square cross-section, a substantially open top, a bottom gravel outlet in the forward end and a hopper, and a gravel escape slot at the opposite end. A centered rotating cylindrical agitator having agitating blades and three portions of decreasing diameter to the outlet. The apparatus is distinguishable for lacking any inclination adjustable means.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,972,195 issued on Sep. 4, 1934, to Marmaduke J. Lacy, Jr. describes an ore washer apparatus for washing ores such as phosphates, manganese and iron or concrete aggregates containing clay, chips, and silt in a fixed inclined frame. The moving gear comprises 5 parallel chains bearing plow share blades rotating on three sprocket wheels to define a triangle as viewed from the side. The ores are added in the baffled rear end and pushed to the front end in water for discharge out of the water via a discharge throat. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring an immovable fixed tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,021 issued on Dec. 11, 1928, to Samuel R. Puryear describes an apparatus for separating solids comprising a substantially rectangular inclined tank with an enlarged rear end and twin screws. The solids such as mud balls mixed with gravel, lignite, coal, shale, and shells are fed with water from a chute into the rear end of the tank. The lighter materials are flushed by water jets toward an adjustable wier and into a perforated conduit leading to a rear trough. The twin screws carry the heavier material up the inclined tank out of the water and into a delivery chute. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a rear separation trough and directional jets of water.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,841 issued on Dec. 31, 1935, to Charles H. Young describes an apparatus for washing gravel to remove shale, lignite, bark, water-logged wood, and coal comprising an inclined tank on a frame support, and having a pair of screw conveyors which accept the heavier gravel feed from a shallow pan which discharges the heavier material in the rear. The screw conveyors move the gravel through water to an outlet. Jets of water are also supplied continuously upward through the mixture from a bottom pipe. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a fixed support.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,678 issued on May 15, 1984, to Cecil C. Gentry describes an apparatus for lignite beneficiation comprising an inclined treatment trough having a two-section conveyor screw consisting of a notched screw in the front and a helical screw. In the rear of the trough, crushed lignite is fed into a settling pool of water having a weir in the rear wall covering an exiting stream, while above the stream waste tailings flow over the rear wall. Water is sprayed above the trough. The lignite product exits at the front portion of the trough. Fixed supports are illustrated to obtain the inclination angle of the trough. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a two-section conveyor screw and fixed supports for inclining the trough.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,609,652 issued on Dec. 7, 1926, to John L. McQueen describes a log washer apparatus comprising twin screws having intermeshing paddles with cutting edges for washing sand, gravel, ores, and manganese to remove clay, dirt and waste matter. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring specific log washer screws.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,458 issued on Aug. 11, 1936, to Melvin Ovestrud et al. describes a wheeled apparatus for treating quarried rock or pit run gravel to produce aggregates for concrete construction work comprising, in sequence, an upper scrubber chamber (inclined downward) receiving the raw feed, a coarse and fine particle conveyor, and a dehydrator chamber with an endless conveyor belt. A screen at the end of scrubber chamber filters the smaller particles which pass down a hopper to a crusher. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring multiple separation elements, a crusher, and lacking any adjustment of the inclination of the scrubber chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,549 issued on Jul. 20, 1943, to Paul L. Wigton describes a spiral ore pulp classifier apparatus comprising an upwardly inclined open tank on fixed supports being fed ore pulp into the tank having pool of water and a spiral conveyor. The pool end of the tank has an upper outlet for slime and a bottom outlet for a drain. Sand is discharged from the front end. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring a fixed inclination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,776 issued on Nov. 30, 1999, to Gianni B. Arcaini et al. describes a process for processing ash from the mass burning of municipal waste utilizing various apparatus comprising a shear-force shredder for the size reduction of bulky items, impact cleaning of ferrous metal items, and a rotary washer for cleaning non-ferrous materials. The ash is sent through an air separation unit to remove, paper, wood, plastic, and other unburned debris before passing the ash to an eddy current separator for non-ferrous material removal. The ash is free of metals values, unburned materials and unshreddables, but must be treated to immobilize certain heavy metals. The ash is recycled through a closed loop to increase removal efficiency of the metals and the homogeneous nature of the recovered treated ash aggregate. The apparatus used in this process is distinguishable for not requiring an inclined separator.
U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2,280,384, published on Jan. 2, 1995, describes a horizontal bucket wheel sand washer with a submerged recovered fine aggregate transporter apparatus so that its movement does not agitate or disturb the flowing water. The submerged transporter may be a screw conveyor or a multi-bladed scraper mounted on a frame reciprocated by rams and guided in elevated return movement over pivoted cams. The apparatus is distinguishable for its required horizontal structure.
Japan Patent Application No. 8-168693 published on Jul. 2, 1996, describes an inclined apparatus to prevent fine aggregate such as sand from being mixed with the muddy water being carried off by a conveyor belt, when the fine aggregate such as sand is taken out from a water tank by a belt conveyor device. The silt is collected in a hopper and to a conveyor belt, while the muddy water is collected in a separate container. The apparatus is distinguishable for lacking any change in the inclination.
Japan Patent Application No. 9-203407 published on Aug. 5, 1997, describes a screw conveyor and washer apparatus comprising multiple washers connected in a single line via microjoints. Multiple screws with individual washers in a single line are attached to a supplying means of unknown material. Each washer is separated in turn at its microjoint part so that the screw with its washer is supplied. The apparatus is distinguishable for its required microjointed structure.
German Patent Application No. DE 19,928,287, published on Dec. 28, 2000, describes a method for disposing excavated waste material by conveying the waste material to a buffer container for delivery to a drum washer wherein coarse particles are separated from finer particles, and the overflow is supplied to a hydro-cyclone screen apparatus for recycle of the fluid and the disposal of the solids to a dump. The apparatus employed is distinguishable for requiring a drum washer and a hydro-cyclone screen.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a load sensing system to obtain the proper inclination of the washer tank solving the aforementioned problems is desired.